Types of Plays: Isolation Plays
In poker, an “Isolation Play” is usually a raise made with the intent to encourage one or more of your opponents to fold. Once the other player folds, you’ve isolated your target opponent until it’s just you and him or her. Isolation plays aren’t used to reduce the players as much as to make it a one on one battle between the two players. While reducing players is good, it’s more to make it a battle between you and the soon to be losing opponent (so you hope!)
Aggressive players (also known as “maniacs” sometimes) are great helpers for an isolation play since they tend to play inferior hands. By raising a maniac, you make staying in the round too expensive, and that encourages other players to fold. Then you target the maniac (or, more accurately, his or her money.) Players involved in drawing plays are another great target for a one-to-one play since they’re hoping to complete their hand. Odds are usually good that an incomplete hand will probably stay incomplete “when the game is done” and leave you the winner.
Isolation plays give you a few advantages. First, the pure probability of you having the best hand increases. If there were four players, from a pure probability standpoint, each person has a one in four chance of having the best hand. By eliminating two players, you now have a one in two chance of possessing the best hand. You’ve doubled your chances of winning the pot with all its money, chips (or even clothing if strip poker is your style!)
In tournament poker games, an isolation play can help move you forward. If there’s a player who is “short-stacked” (running out of money), then he or she is in danger of elimination. In these cases, they may be playing aggressively to get others to fold. They’re desperate to raise their stack, and with you (and everyone else) folding, it allows them to win the pot and stay in the game. By playing isolation, you raise, try to knock everyone else out, and make it between you and “short stack” (which is a terrible poker nickname, to be honest.)
Hey, it’s survival of the fittest.
Isolation plays can also remove better hands from the round. If you have a hand that works better in a heads up play (vs. just one other player) then it will likely benefit you to attempt to use the isolation play. For example, in Texas Hold 'Em, a small pocket pair has a 50 percent chance in a heads up situation, so knocking other players out gives you a better chance at winning (especially if your nickname isn’t short stack!)
